Source: E Company Author: Mei Shuang.
Tesla's 4680 battery has reached another milestone. On September 15th, Tesla announced the official launch of the 0.1 billionth 4680 battery. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also congratulated his battery team.
Just three months ago on June 6th, Tesla announced the production of the 50 millionth 4680 battery, which means the production volume has doubled in just over three months. It is reported that Tesla has achieved mass production of the 4680 battery at its Texas Gigafactory and plans to further expand its production capacity. They are investing in the expansion of their Nevada factory to produce the Semi electric truck and 4680 batteries, with a planned battery capacity of 100 GWh.
From a technical perspective, Tesla's 4680 battery combines multiple technologies, including large cells, a full tab design, and a dry electrode. Unlike previous power battery packs composed of many small battery cells, the larger size of the 4680 battery reduces the number of battery cells, welding, and connectors, thereby reducing the weight of the battery, reducing component costs, and achieving lightweight vehicles.
"The cylindrical 46 series batteries have a unique tab design, which brings significant changes to the cutting and laser welding processes, resulting in higher requirements for equipment precision and efficiency." An industry insider from a lithium battery equipment manufacturer analyzed the technical bottlenecks of 4680 battery production for e-company reporters.
Nevertheless, large cylindrical batteries represented by the 4680 battery are becoming one of the favored technological routes for car manufacturers and battery companies. Through structural innovation and material systems, large cylindrical batteries can achieve more efficient manufacturing, higher performance, and lower costs to meet the needs of electrification. Industry analysts believe that with the improvement of various companies' processes and the smooth operation of production lines, the yield of 4680 batteries is expected to continue to increase. As the yield rate of large cylindrical batteries improves and costs decrease, other car manufacturers are also expected to adopt large cylindrical batteries.
Elon Musk stated at the end of last year that 2024 will be the "4680" year. Several brokerages have also stated in their research reports this year that large cylindrical batteries will start to be widely used in the first wave of installations from 2024 to 2025.
Recently, there have been frequent reports of the accelerated production of 4680 batteries. On September 9th, Panasonic's subsidiary Panasonic Energy announced that it has completed preparations for mass production of the 4680 cylindrical automotive lithium-ion battery. Their factory in Wakayama, Japan, will serve as the mother factory for producing the 4680 battery, and the new trial process will be implemented in other factories around the world. By March 2025, the Wakayama factory is expected to have approximately 400 employees involved in the development and production of the next-generation battery.
On that day, Panasonic Energy held a ceremony to mark the end of its preparation for mass production. A company spokesperson pointed out that the company has sent samples of the 4680 battery to some auto manufacturers and plans to start production of this new battery after obtaining approval.
It is reported that the Wakayama factory will serve as a pilot for future production of 4680 batteries at other Panasonic battery factories around the world. Currently, Panasonic Energy's factories in Sumoto and Kisarazu, Japan are producing 2170 cylindrical electric vehicle batteries and 1860 cylindrical batteries, respectively.
Editor/Lambor